Welcome to the 2023 CPRIT Annual Report
Texas leads the country in its unprecedented commitment to preventing cancer and researching and developing new technologies to detect, treat, and cure cancer. Created by the Texas Legislature and approved by two statewide votes in 2007 and 2019, the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) is now the largest state funder of cancer research in the nation, and the second largest in the U.S. after the National Cancer Institute. And our dedication to the fight against cancer is uniquely Texan.
This 2023 Annual Report highlights CPRIT’s mission and how we support those working every day to end the burden of cancer for all Texans.
Please use the navigation bar at the top to browse the report. Here are a few quick links below to help you get started.
- CPRIT Milestones Agency program milestones achieved in 2023
- Interactive Mission Map See how CPRIT is accomplishing its mission across Texas
- FY 2023 Program Priorities Learn about priorities that guide CPRIT’s three programs
- Published Research Findings Read concise summaries of CPRIT-funded research
- CPRIT Financial Information A closer look at FY2023 agency revenue and expenditures
- Prevention Projects Map View all CPRIT Prevention Projects by Legislative Districts
Wayne R. RobertsChief Executive Officer
Dear Friends,
I am proud to introduce the 2023 CPRIT Annual Report and review our fourteenth year as the state’s cancer-fighting agency.
Created by the Texas Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support and validated by the people of Texas in two statewide votes, Texans entrust CPRIT with $6 billion to support groundbreaking research into preventing, diagnosing, treating, and surviving cancer. As a result, CPRIT is the second largest public funder of cancer research in the U.S., following only the National Cancer Institute.
2023 is a year of landmarks – we celebrated the 300th CPRIT Scholar recruited to Texas, hosted CPRIT’s sixth Innovations conference, released the inaugural Texas Resource Guide, and saw the 400,000th Texan receive their first cancer screening through CPRIT-funded projects. As CPRIT continues its second decade, we remain true to our three-part mission to invest in the state’s research prowess, create and expand life science infrastructure across Texas, and expedite innovation in cancer research and prevention strategies.
This year the legislative vision in establishing CPRIT – and its ensuing accomplishments over the past 14 years – was instrumental in the newly formed Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s (ARPA-H) decision to locate one of its three regional hubs in Texas as part of its nationwide health innovation network. Texas’ unprecedented commitment to bold approaches for seemingly intractable scientific challenges, as evidenced by the success of CPRIT, set the stage for bringing ARPA-H to Texas. Congress has charged ARPA-H with identifying transformative and broadly accessible solutions to the most challenging health care problems, from cancer, Alzheimer’s and AIDS to equitable health care delivery and cost containment. We expect that many CPRIT scholars and investigators will participate in ARPA-H’s projects.
In this report, you will find compelling stories that showcase the depth and breadth of CPRIT projects and their impact across the cancer continuum. Program spotlights included in the Mission Map show CPRIT-funded projects and provide insight into the influence CPRIT is having in the global fight against cancer.
The 2023 Annual Report includes a new feature: an interactive map that shows all CPRIT prevention program grants sorted by legislative district. CPRIT has funded over $355 million in prevention programs that have reached every county in Texas, and the map provides a visual representation of that accomplishment.
CPRIT is a hub that connects universities, researchers, physicians, companies, hospitals, and clinics across Texas to form a critical infrastructure of distinguished cancer-fighting talent. This connectivity creates high quality jobs, supports critical lab assets, and drives innovation in cancer research toward the goal of reducing the burden of cancer for all Texans.
While the physical and emotional weight of cancer is all too familiar to most Texans, many may not realize the enormous toll that cancer takes on the Texas economy. Our report examines the economic cost of cancer and details how CPRIT and its grantees provide a measurable return on the state’s investment in cancer research and prevention.
CPRIT is grateful for those constantly striving to reduce the burden of cancer across Texas. Their dedication and support continue to inspire us. On behalf of the CPRIT Oversight Committee and the CPRIT staff, we appreciate the opportunity to keep the promise to Texans and make our state a worldwide leader in the fight against cancer.
Through CPRIT and in thousands of personal ways, Texans Conquer Cancer.
Sincerely,
Wayne R. Roberts
Chief Executive Officer